LEGEND

03.07.14

Tommy John Surgery Inventor Dies

Nancy R. Schiff/Hulton Archive/Getty

Few events have changed the course of baseball history like the success of the medical procedure that came to be known as Tommy John surgery. Dr. Frank Jobe, who passed away at age 88 Thursday, invented the ligament reconstructive elbow surgery in 1974 in a desperate attempt to save the career of Dodgers pitcher Tommy John. John would go on to pitch for 14 more seasons, and the surgery that took his name would be used by stars like John Smoltz, Chris Carpenter, Billy Wagner, and Adam Wainwright. “I was deeply saddened to learn of the loss of Dr. Frank Jobe, a great gentleman whose work in baseball revolutionized sports medicine,” said MLB Commissioner Bud Selig.